


Not All Falling Stars Grant Wishes

by SusanShining, violetsaren_tblue



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Manipulation, Episode: s03e01-02 Rapunzel's Return, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Let Eugene have his own opinions club, Protective Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Protective Varian (Disney), Varian Angst (Disney), Varian Has Issues (Disney), Varian's got a guilt complex, and Eugene's having none of it, episode rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29815404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SusanShining/pseuds/SusanShining, https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetsaren_tblue/pseuds/violetsaren_tblue
Summary: After returning to Corona to find it taken over, Eugene attempts to get rid of the Saporian problem by himself in an effort to help destress Rapunzel. However, he finds himself in deeper trouble when a gut feeling gets the better of him, calling him closer to the unfolding plot before his eyes and allowing him to connect with the most unexpected person; Varian.But, as most things go in Eugene's life, there's more under the surface than he could begin to fathom.
Relationships: Andrew | Hubert & Varian (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Lance Strongbow, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Rapunzel, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Lance Strongbow & Varian, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 97





	1. Undertide

**Author's Note:**

> Susan and I have worked so long on this and have decided to start posting by chapter! So hope you enjoy our rewrite but watch out for the following warnings.  
> Implied/referenced abuse, Emotional Manipulation, Parentification, Victim-blaming, Strangulation, aaand I think that's it for this chapter?

_This is stupid_.

_Stupid stupid stupid- Where was unbreakable magic hair when he needed it?_

The answer was obvious. Hopefully in Xavier’s shop underground where it was safe and _not_ anywhere near the castle- Well, it was across the street and actually quite nearby but _still-_

Letting out an anxious sigh and lightly creeping through the castle hallways, he mentally cursed his stupid plan- if you could even call it that. It was really just a half-formed idea to put a stop to whatever was getting the Saporians their alchemical weapons- let it be a machine or a kid who’s in _way_ over his head- he was going to cut the Separatists off from their little toys. And he wasn’t leaving without doing at least that. Maybe even sprinkle in a giant sock to Andrew’s face if he had the time-

_Eugene? Focus._ He mentally slapped himself, peaking past a corner for anyone approaching. Wow. Not even one guard? Jeez, these guys really weren’t expecting anything, were they?

He paused at a hallway intersection, thinking for a moment. Where would Varian choose to work? As much as he knew the kid- which wasn’t a lot if he was being honest- he seemed to have a flair for the dramatic, but also prefer to work in the shadows-

His thoughts were interrupted when an explosion rocked the castle, shaking the walls and sending glass jars tumbling onto the floor. They shattered on impact and Eugene barely managed to narrowly avoid the shrapnel pieces going flying across the floor.

_The heck-_ he started sprinting down the hallway where the tremor seemed to come from. In the back of his mind, it spikes a memory of a large basin filled with heated water, an earthquake shaking an entire village because a single kid didn’t know when to quit-

_Voices_.

Stopping immediately, he broke away from sprinting and dashed behind a curtain just in time as three shadows darkened the hallway, coming out of a smoky room on his side of the wall.

“Okay, I know that was a set-back and I’ll have to make another batch, but I’m sure I can work it out!” The high-pitched voice of the third figure trailing behind the large two spoke out. “I just need to make it less- heh- explosive this time! I’m positive if I could just add less potassium we’ll be able to turn it into a gas without blowing up the rest of the-”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that, kid.” A lower voice of a man responded and Eugene found his hand clenching at the familiarity, yet he couldn’t spare anything other than focusing more on evening out his breath to ensure he wouldn’t move the curtain and be discovered. “Just do exactly as you did before- make as much as you can and then we’ll get started with moving forward.”

“But- if we heat the Quirinium up like this it’ll just blow up!” The voices were right in front of him, shadows standing right beyond the purple curtain. “Andrew I- I just need a little bit more time to perfect it and _then_ we can start. If we use it as it is right now the damage could be catastrophic if it’s on a larger scale.”

There was no doubt who the first two voices belonged to, but the third one… their shadow was shorter than the others, abnormally so. What was her name? Calliope- Caroline- Clementine! That was what Varian called her, right?

“Varian, what did I say?” Andrew sighed, annoyed at the boy’s concern. “Just do what I tell you, alright? I have everything taken care of.”

“But- the Quirinium will just explode Andrew! I can’t just let you-” the voice stopped abruptly, his shadow behind the curtain almost shrinking into itself. “I- thank you, Andrew. I’ll get working on it.” The boy’s voice was shaky, almost timid as he turned around and headed back down the hallway, disappearing into the open doorway.

An exasperated sigh sounded from the shorter of the figures left behind. “That boy… he’ll be trouble later on. If he suspects any foul play-”

“The alchemist won’t be a problem.” The voice was confident, smug in all the wrong ways. “He’s barely able to protest if I steal a grape from his dinner plate. Trust me, if anyone’s a threat to us, it’s that senile, old blacksmith down in the city. Besides, if Varian _does_ show signs of doubt, I’m sure another night in his cell could bring him back to his senses. Back to _us_. Not that it’ll be needed anyway. He _is_ one of us now.”

Eugene’s back went rigid, cursing himself for getting distracted or maybe for something else, he couldn’t tell; but still, he stayed behind the curtain well after their feet had padded away.

He didn’t know why he didn’t start moving for a few more minutes. Maybe it was because he wanted to make sure no Saporians were waiting for him to come out. Maybe it was because he was still trying to find out what to do now, with the explosive power the separatists now had at their disposal. Perhaps it was him trying to debate on whether or not to go back, to form up with more allies to storm the castle and put a stop to their rule once and for all.

Then again, maybe he was just giving his conscience enough time to convince himself to allow someone else to receive the chance to change paths and to be given a shot at redemption. Just as he had.

Pushing aside the curtain and briefly listening for any more footsteps, he stepped down the hallway. He had no plan, no weapon aside from his sword that wouldn’t stand a chance against Varian’s alchemy, yet he was going to go up to the kid and talk to him. Trying not to get killed or caught in the process.

_Well, this should end perfectly._

Pushing the thought aside as he tried to make his footsteps as light and as quiet as possible, stopping only at the open entrance to Varian’s lab to ensure the boy wasn’t currently looking. Getting _to_ the kid would be easy. Getting _through_ to the kid would be the hard part.

He only hesitated a moment before peaking around the doorway. All the ways that this could go _horribly_ wrong running around in his head.

Then there he was, picking up a long spoon and stirring around a green-colored substance. No doubt the infamous Quirinium the kid had been talking about earlier. It was kinda impressive if he was being honest, seeing how quickly the kid worked. As far as he could count, that was seven barrels of the stuff that the kid had already whipped up. Sure, there might be tools and more alchemical-looking contraptions that no doubt helped him, but that was still lightning-quick when the kid was-what? 13?

Now that Eugene actually got a good look at him, the kid seemed… skittish. Even when he was-well- when he _thought_ he was alone. Yet the question here was if he was always that way, or did he pick it up in- yeah. Definitely the latter with who he’d been hanging out with. But now that he thought about it, where was that little raccoon he always had? Was it in the forest where it belonged? Taking away his pet didn’t seem like the type of thing you’d do to a traumatized kid...

He stayed at the entrance for a little while longer, debating whether or not to reveal himself and how. He should probably make sure if the kid seemed hostile, he wouldn’t be able to alert the rest of the usurpers to Eugene’s infiltration, but he also didn’t want to seem like he was cornering the kid.

Well, it certainly wouldn’t work well if Varian was the one who noticed him first, so he stepped out from behind the wall and positioned himself, leaning against the doorway in a casual manner. Almost as if he was dropping by to say hello to a friend. It was both relaxed, but also defensible since he couldn’t really see any other exit the kid could escape with.

At the moment, the kid was currently measuring a silvery substance into yet another barrel, so it seemed like the perfect time to introduce himself.

“What’s that?” He found his voice cutting through the air, startling the living daylights out of the alchemist, who whipped around and stared in shock at the man residing at the doorway. “Liquid metal? Seems a bit excessive, don’t you think?”

For a moment, the kid was in complete shock. Blue eyes wide and his entire form stiff as if he was expecting Eugene to attack him. A bit odd from the one-man army Eugene remembers. The boy’s lips formed into a straight and firm line a second later, all traces of his earlier terror gone and replaced with a hardened and resolved anger. 

Ah, there he is.

“It’s not _metal._ ” Varian spat. “It’s called _mercury_ . And anyone who doesn’t know better shouldn’t stand anywhere _near_ those chemicals so if you could just-” He steeled his expression, closing his eyes and taking a deep, long-suffering breath before gesturing to the shelf full of unknown substances beside the door frame. “Spill anything on that shelf and you’re _dead_.”

Eugene raised an eyebrow. “Is that the best threat you could come up with?” The man scoffed. “You really need to sort out the whole ‘bad guy’ act before-”

“Nono, _really_ .” The boy’s flat tone interrupted him. “Highly corrosive liquids plus the biggest idiot in the castle equals no more idiot in the castle. You can do simple math, right?” He stopped. “Well, technically there’s still Your Royal Headaches, the Mindless King Fredrick and Queen Arianna, so I guess you aren’t the _only_ idiot here," his lips turned upward sarcastically. “How reassuring.”

Despite the circumstances, Eugene found himself smirking back. “Quite the mouth you got there kid, it’s really-”

“I’m not a kid!” Varian snapped, rage contorting on his face faster than Eugene could blink. Then, as quick as it came, it was gone, replaced with a firm and annoyed expression as he threw his hands up in the air frustratedly. 

“Unbelievable.” The boy huffed. “I’m the second most powerful person in Corona right now, everyone knows it, and yet everyone still sees me as a child to be scolded, told-off, and punished the second I misbehave.” His eyes narrowed into a glare at Eugene, his feet almost taunting as they stepped to the side where a tray of multicolored glass balls lay. “Ironic, since they were so set on treating me like an adult during said punishment.”

Eugene’s face fell, making no move to stop the boy from picking up a select group of goop weapons. “Totally. Pretty messed up of them to lock you in with Andrew, huh?” He winced at just how insincere that sounded before gathering his words. “Yeah… sorry about that. We probably should’ve made sure you weren’t treated that poorly-”

“Oh, so _now_ you’re sorry, huh?” Varian interrupted him yet again. “Now that I’m in control and could take you out right here and now?” His grip tightened on the purple sphere in his hand, almost like it was reassuring him that he _could_ defend himself- not that Eugene planned to attack him. Correction: more like Eugene _couldn’t_ attack him. Not without burning his hand off anyway.

“I can see how you’d think that...'' Eugene hesitantly adds when the boy seemed to be waiting for his response. “But that’s not why I’m here, alright? If I _really_ wanted to attack you- I _don’t-_ then why would I reveal myself to you?” He pushed himself off the doorway and held his hands up as a sign of peace, making his way closer to the boy. “The only reason I’m talking to you right now is that... you’re in a bad place kid. Violent separatist that you owe a debt to, two warring sides fighting for control, and no one- well, _I_ don’t want you getting hurt in the crossfire.”

Varian stiffened, doubtful of Eugene’s sincerity; and only readied his throwing arm to chuck the trap at him. It was almost alarming, how little the kid trusted anyone, but he supposed that was understandable. After being alone for so long- and then with the people he _had_ been around- that was only to be expected.

Hopefully, by the end of this, Eugene could help with that.

But for now, as he took another step toward Varian, the boy’s hand flew forward, and not a second later, he heard the crash of glass on the floor and the smell of smoke blew in his face, causing him to shut his eyes abruptly on instinct. Afterward, his eyes peeled open to reveal his feet firmly trapped to the ground with a purply pink substance.

Varian pressed his lips together in a contemplative line, backing up a step to make sure Eugene’s couldn’t grab him. “‘Getting hurt in the crossfire.’ Huh... You seemed pretty intent on letting me get caught in the stupid crossfire between Fredrick and Rapunzel when _your king_ refused to help me get rid of the rocks.” 

His fist tightened as his expression became troubled. “I don’t get what you’re doing. You really think I’m going to trust you so-called ‘responsible adults?’” He scoffed briefly before bringing his arms to his chest, defensive again. “When I was alone and abandoned, everyone seemed perfectly content with leaving me to clean up their messes. Even while I also had to deal with my father getting _trapped in unbreakable amber_ and my _entire village_ overrun by the rocks that _all of you_ were trying to ignore.” He turned away from Eugene, almost talking to himself as he ran a hand over the rows of alchemy bombs fitted on his tray. 

“Then, when I have an _actual plan_ to destroy them, you all drop out at the last second and automatically tag _me_ as the villain. Don’t think I didn’t see you order guards at me in the vault either.” He muttered, running a hand down his face. “Then, when my plan- _without your help_ I might add _-_ _failed-_ I was left to- what? Do nothing?” 

Eugene could _feel_ the kid roll his eyes as he scoffed. “No. You really never gave me the _choice_ of doing nothing. Asking me to fix the problem, but when the solution didn’t fit with your idea of a ‘perfect world’ where no one’s forced to make sacrifices for the greater good, you immediately hate me for even _thinking_ of such a thing-”

“In our defense-” Eugene cut in, more than a tad desperate to cut off the spiraling emotions. “You _did_ kidnap the queen, then later try and kill her and Cassandra. You did and were hurting people, Varian. We couldn’t just let you run free.”

The boy’s expression faltered for the briefest second before turning away again. “Then... what would you have had me do _Eugene?_ ” Varian whipped around, scooping up another alchemy ball- a green one this time- and fixed a dangerous glare on the man. “Simply ask for help again? Because that worked _so_ well last time. Arianna… the queen was a necessary act to get you to listen and actually _do_ something. Something the royal family- _including Arianna_ \- should have already been trying, and not leaving it up to fourteen-year-old kids to ‘care about Corona.’” 

He faltered for a moment, tone turning solemn. “And as for trying to kill her… I know that was wrong. I’m not denying that, and I don’t plan on doing it again, but I didn’t really have time to think through everything at the moment. What- with the entire kingdom at my doorstep, just waiting for the chance to run a sword through me.”

Eugene pursed his lips while swallowing the lump of regret, hesitating a moment before speaking again. “Yeah, I get it. You were backed into a corner, and you _did_ mess up-”

“Yeah! I know I did! I shouldn’t have tried to hurt people. I know that alright!?” Varian hissed out, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I already know what I did, and that’s why you're here right? Trying to get me to realize what I did wrong, but I already do. _”_ His voice is laced with venom but Eugene gets a strange feeling that it’s not just towards him. “I almost _killed_ people. I almost killed Cassandra and the fricking _queen._ Everyone knows I’m a hopeless cause- so _why are you still here?_ ”

“Varian, you're _not_ hopeless.” Eugene cut in, holding his hand out passively for Varian to take, even with the distance between them. “Yeah, your life probably would’ve been different if you hadn’t made those mistakes, but you’re still a _kid_ , and you still have a chance to help me to help you pull yourself out of it. You _can_ make things right Varian. We _all_ made mistakes with you back then, and I am truly sorry for that, but now, this time- I can help you out of it.”

He waited for Varian to interrupt him, but when that never came, he went on. “There’s a force of Coronians with us formed up in the city. We’re taking the Saporians down, and down _soon._ Which leads me to the reason why I came to you.” He took in a deep breath, wondering if he would regret this. “When we make our move, anyone who had sided with the Separatists is going to be arrested and put on trial for treason- and you, with your track record, aren’t going to end up anywhere good. And... I’m giving you a chance to turn back now before it’s too late. If you help us take them in, you’ll be pardoned and we can get your dad out together. We can-”

“ _What?”_ Varian reeled back, face going pale as a sheet before a mask of anger covered it up once more. Right when he’s close to getting somewhere, Eugene thinks bitterly. “D-do you have _any_ idea of what you’re saying would mean for me?”

Eugene blinked, a bit confused as he pulled his hand back the slightest bit. “Well, it’s better than being-”

_“Traitors pay with their lives.”_ The boy bristled, a hint of panic in his voice. “I can’t back out now! We’re _this close_ to winning! If I joined you, I would be Saporia’s number one target!” Varian shook his head, bringing his hands to his hair as his feet anxiously began moving, almost jogging past Eugene on his way out the door. “I- I can’t- ANDREW! I need to- HEY!” He cried out when Eugene’s frantic arm caught hold of his own, moments before the kid would be unreachable. “Let go!”

“Kid, would you just-” The man pulled the kid back, refusing to let him walk out of the room despite how the motion twisted his legs in the goop trap. Panic overtook his movements at the thought of the separatists being alerted to his position. “Dang it kid! You’re going to get me _killed-_ ”

“Let the alchemist go Rider.” A voice spoke from the door, “Trust me when I say, you really don’t want to make this harder for yourself.” 

Eugene’s gaze lifted up to meet the annoyingly familiar eyes of the Saporian leader, the man’s sword already drawn. With a cry of desperation, Varian ripped his arm free of Eugene’s, rushing over to the man with a disturbing amount of relief. 

“Andrew!” The boy cried, dashing to hide behind the older man’s figure. “He- he was trying to get me to join him and-”

“Yeah, I know.” The man looked at the teen standing at his side with a strange sort of fondness. “You really told him off, didn’t you? Good boy.” He allowed a small smile directed at Varian before turning to Eugene, who was currently trying not to fall down in the goop trapping his legs. “As for you. I know a nice little cell you can stay in while you tell my friends and I all about the plan to retake the throne. Hmm?”

Eugene leveled a glare at the man, giving one last pull on the goop. “You really are just the _worst_. You know that?”

Andrew only grinned as three more Saporians came into the room, yet he barely paid attention to them as they dissolved the trap underneath him. His attention was focused on one person and one person only.

But when Varian finally met his gaze, he turned away, expression seemingly ashamed from his place at Andrew’s side. His mouth soundlessly, but very clearly, enunciating the word _‘Sorry,’_ before Eugene’s arms were seized and he was once again, being led into the dungeons of Corona’s castle. 

Maybe he should get a frequent dungeon-goer stamp card.

\-------

Right when Eugene thought that he finally got the moldy smell of prison stone cleansed from his senses, he gets tossed right back into another one of these stupid cells. At least he wasn’t tied up like an asylum patient this time. 

“You know Rider? Don’t think you’re as good as you used to be.” Andrew, the cheeky pig, stood in front of his cell. The rest of his motley crew, including a guilty-looking Varian, flanked him, awaiting orders. “Must be getting old, ey?” Eugene’s eye twitched. Nevermind, full-body chains would be better than listening to this prick for more than two minutes.

It’s been five. 

“Hubert, I pray every day for the chance that your vocal cords fall out.” The man grits between clenched teeth. He grapples the bars between them, the feeling of rust beneath his fingers only increases his ire. The tension between the two men was practically solid, hard to breathe in. A soft chuckle cuts through as if it were nothing. 

“Your real name is ‘Hubert’?” Varian sounded incredulous, if not amused by the discovery. Though it seemed like the kid immediately regretted speaking when all five separatists turned to stare him down. Eugene’s stomach twists uncomfortably when the boy’s face turns white and silences at the challenge brimming beneath Andrew’s irritated scowl. When the Saporian turned back to their prisoner, a self-satisfied glint in his eyes made Eugene choke back a growl. He may not be the brightest bulb, but he knew the signs of grooming when he saw them. Years of working with the Baron, someone who had molded him and Lance into being his personal thieving lackeys, made the manipulation tactic read loud and clear to Eugene. 

Turning his attention away from Andrew to prevent the dozen atrocities twisting on his tongue from spewing, the brunette noticed something he hadn’t before when he looked at Varian. The kid’s hands were shaking. He attempted to hide them by crossing his arms, but it was noticeable enough for Eugene to see even several feet away. At first, the man regarded it with confusion before he thought about where they were; the High-Security cells. 

Oh.

_Oh._

Okay, the need to de-escalate the situation and get the kid out of here just became a bigger priority than antagonizing Andrew. Eugene reached a hand through the bars, ignoring a scoff of disgust from the separatist leader. 

“Varian, please listen to me.” He began, noting the surprise in the boy’s face when Eugene started reaching out to him. “I can help you. I _want_ to help you. These people are just using you for weapons to help their stupid uprising. I can keep you safe from them if you’d just understand that this is not the way to get what you want.” He doesn’t know exactly why he was so desperate to get it through to Varian that he has a choice now, but Eugene has always been a man to listen to his gut. And his gut was saying that there is still hope here. 

“This isn’t about what I want anymore!” The abrupt cry brought Eugene’s thoughts to a screeching halt. What is that supposed to mean? Varian’s face contorts with the worst combination of grief and rage, eyes flashing with _something_ under the surface of anger. The boy steps forward, past the Saporians who look just about as taken aback as he was. 

“This is about righting wrongs and letting people live the rest of their lives without fear. It’s about not letting Corona citizens suffer any further under the rule of someone who doesn’t care about them.” Varian waves a hand in front of him, gesturing emphatically. “It’s about second chances...for everyone.” His voice teeters out into a whisper and his trembling worsens. Eugene gets the idea that Varian said more than he wanted to, but it's just enough for him to come to a realization. His expression softens when Varian turns, unable to face the ex-thief anymore.

“You aren’t erasing people’s memories as petty revenge,” Eugene said gently. “It’s because they won’t forgive you otherwise.” He of all people should know the cruelty towards criminals in Corona especially. Even after everything he did for Rapunzel and the kingdom, people still had refused him service or openly scorned him. It wasn’t until, well, Varian became an enemy that people began to trust him more. But for the most part, he didn’t care. As long as he had Rapunzel, he was fine. Who did Varian have? 

Eugene hears the teen’s breath catch, posture slightly straighter before he slumps forwards again, head ducked. Varian turns melancholy eyes on the man that once threatened his life, so much regret and sorrow finally breaking the surface that Eugene’s throat dries, his big heart beginning to bleed. 

“It’s the only way,” Varian concludes hoarsely, convincing himself rather than anyone else. “The only way for everyone to be happy is for them to forget.” He steps away from Eugene’s cell, more resigned than before. No. No! This isn’t going to happen again! He’s not going to let this kid fall through the cracks once more. 

Before he can call out to the alchemist, Eugene is rudely reminded that they were not alone in the dungeons. 

“Actually buddy, there’s been a change in plans.” Andrew stalks forward, placing his hands on Varian’s shoulders inciting a small wince. The words were meant to be friendly, but they felt overly sweet to a point that it was painful to hear. “You see, with the princess back, we don’t have the time for you to get your memory formula right. We need to take them down now before they try anything. Reclaim this already crumbling land from the liars and the tyrants, remember?” 

“But we will still be using the chemical you’ve curated. Quirinium explodes!” Clementine cuts in, apathetic to the two horror-stricken expressions cast her way. “It will burn Corona to ashes.” 

Dread hollows Eugene’s stomach. These maniacs were going to explode a kingdom; he was the only person who knew of this update, the rest of his group was currently in Xavier’s bunker strategizing against a memory-erasing chemical. He was the only person who actually knew what they were up against and he was locked in a prison cell. He has to get out of here. He has to warn Rapunzel. 

“W-what? No!” Varian threw Andrew’s hands off of him, looking about as terrified as Eugene. “Andrew, w-we agreed that no one would be harmed! It was the only thing I- You said that this wouldn’t hurt anyone!” There was a frantic note in the alchemist’s voice that rings with misery as he points accusingly at the cause for said misery. Those words echo in Eugene’s mind. The kid didn’t want people to come to harm- the way he spoke, it was as if he was making sure that no one was getting hurt during this coup. 

Has Varian been protecting them from violence all this time? Thinking back to it, in the throne room fight, no one was seriously injured despite the use of explosives in the end. Was that why he gave the Saporians those weapons; so that they’d use something that couldn’t hurt anyone as opposed to a sword or dagger? Why didn’t he think about this sooner? 

A spark of hope ignited inside him. Varian _was_ trying to make things right! Just pushed in the wrong direction! If Eugene could just get Andrew away….

Unaware of Eugene’s spiraling thoughts, Andrew smirks lightly, grabbing both of Varian’s hands and holding them in front of him, restricting his movements. 

“Oh, _come on_ Varian. Are you really that naive? Don’t you remember what they did to you? They don’t deserve this land if they couldn’t even learn to take care of it properly- they couldn't take care of their _children_ properly. Corona deserves to _burn_.” Andrew’s amiable infliction turns harsh, sour on the tip of Eugene’s tongue. 

The man lifts Varian’s hands higher, tightening his grip on fragile wrists. “Whether you’re with us or not, we’re taking them down. But c'mon kid, you don't want to upset me and end up on the wrong side of history, do you? Now that we have a chance to make them feel as we have?” Eugene nearly crumbles at just how small Varian looks with Andrew looming over him with a dangerous scowl dawning on his face. When the kid finally tugs his hands back, crystal blue eyes dart between the man in the cell and the Saporian. 

He’s scared.

“N-no. No, I don’t, but-” He looks so scared, and yet Eugene can only watch as Varian still digs through his pockets with shaking limbs, finding an alchemy weapon and readying it.

“That’s w-why I’m going to have to ask y-you to step into that cell, Andrew.” Varian’s voice quivers but his stance is resolute, adjusting his grip on the bright pink sphere when his hands don’t stop convulsing. “I can’t let anyone else get hurt, please understand.” The boy practically begs. Eugene wants to scream, tell him to be smart about this and not try to corner the bigger, stronger group of warriors but he’s stuck frozen from the discovery of Varian’s true allegiance minutes ago.

“ _Varian,”_ Andrew calls his name lowly, any trace of niceties gone in an instant. The alchemist flinches at the sound of his name but begins advancing with the goop weapon anyway. “Are you really choosing _them_?” It sounded less like a question and more like a threat; it makes Eugene want to start searching for his lockpick. He has to get out of here. He has to help Varian.

_But he still can’t move._

“I’m getting on the right side of history.” There’s a hesitance born from fear in Varian’s words that despite being threatened, it makes Andrew’s scowl disappear, but the dark look in his eyes remains. Eugene’s brain is a loop of screaming for the kid to get out of there, to run and not look back, to book it as fast as he can because _this is wrong._ “Without you.” The kid throws the weapon, aiming at Andrew’s face. 

The Saporian surges forward, swiping away the sphere with the back of his hand. It explodes over the dark-skinned woman behind him, but that was the least of Eugene’s worries. Andrew crashed into Varian, knocking him to the floor with an angry shout. The kid’s breathing accelerates when Andrew straddles him. He pins both of his hands above his head with a fierce growl. Varian writhes under the stronger form with wide eyes, trying desperately to get free. Andrew huffs a sigh, superiority dripping from every syllable. 

“You know what? Really disappointed here, buddy.” He readjusts his hands so that one is holding Varian’s wrists while the other comes to grip the paling face with bruising force. The teen began to hyperventilate. “You _do_ realize what this means kid? You’re a traitor now, and I’m going to have to punish you. You understand right?” The separatist dragged a finger down Varian’s cheekbone before relocating the hand on his throat, compressing more and more until it drew out a strained cry of pain from the boy. The sound of it is enough to snap Eugene out of his suspension. 

“Get your hands off him!” Eugene bellows, rattling the cell door in trying to shove it open. Andrew’s _mocking_ look of a challenge at his protests provokes a burning, dark hatred within him-one that Eugene has only felt once before, seeing the Stabbington brothers after they threatened Rapunzel. And like before, a solemn vow was made; there will be bloodshed.

“Andrew, you’ll have time to deal with the traitor later,” Clementine calls and if Eugene didn’t know that they were watching a kid being strangled, he’d say that she sounded bored. “Right now, we need to prepare for Corona’s retribution. Let the brat rot here with the spy in the meantime.” The rest of the Saporians have already made their way up the stairs, exiting the dungeons, leaving Andrew to almost groan out as he realized he needed to leave with them. Varian whimpers when the man hauls him up by his collar. Man-bun even has the gall to appear proud of the darkening handprint on Varian’s exposed neck.

“We’ll have some more time to fix you up after Corona burns. For now, take some time in your time-out corner, alright?” He noted casually before dragging him over to Eugene’s cell. “Up against the wall or I’ll have to kill the kid right here.” Despite the urge to spit in his face and break many bones, Eugene does as instructed. Facing the wall, his fingers brush against the lockpick in his breast pocket for reassurance. The solid thud of a body colliding with the floor and a gasp of pain almost makes Eugene turn around and bring the wrath of all seven kingdoms down on the twisted man behind him. Almost.

The door slams closed with the accompaniment of the lock clicking. Eugene’s hand twitches with impatience as the sound of retreating footsteps bounces around their cell walls. Finally, he hears the door above them bolt shut and he wastes no time. 

As soon as he heard those lock shutters click, Eugene was at the door of their cell, the lockpick already half-way into the latch. Minutes pass in the man’s adrenaline-overdosing haze, picking away at the cylinders while muttering soft ‘come-on’s. Finally, Eugene can breathe again; the lock unbolts and the door pushes open. 

Ha! How stupid are they if they think a simple Rim Lock can hold  _ the _ Flynn Rider! 

A giddy laugh escapes him, pocketing his favorite tool. When Eugene turns to grab the kid and ditch this disgusting place, he doesn’t plan for what he sees. 

Varian has not moved from his place on the floor, his gloved hands curled around his head and his legs pulled up against his chest. The big, black coat that hid the unnatural thinness of his body falls open, the alchemical weapons having rolled out of its hidden pockets. Eugene, not quite understanding, walks over to his prone form and tries to get a glimpse of what is going on with the boy. The man exhales sharply when he catches the light shining off of the tears flowing silently from impossibly large blue eyes. Varian is biting his lip so hard that there’s already a thin trail of blood running down his chin. Despite the intense shaking earlier, he lays eerily still, just barely breathing in short wheezes. 

“Kid we- the door is open. We still have time to stop them but we have to hurry.” Eugene attempts to wake him from this dissociative state. He places a hand on a bony shoulder only to retract it when Varian flinches violently away from him. This wasn’t good. He didn’t know how long those ‘preparations’ would take and every minute spent down here is another minute wasted. The idea to leave the kid to pull himself together in the dungeon and get started on taking down the threat to the kingdom crosses Eugene’s mind briefly. 

He takes that thought and shoves it right back into the face of the insensitive idiocy it came from. 

Varian just proved how willing he was to stand against the people who threatened the lives of Corona citizens. Even though said citizens didn’t give him the same mercy and said people were the only ones who ‘listened’ to him. He can’t just leave Varian to suffer under his mountain of emotional turmoil. _ Again _ , the sympathetic part of his brain eagerly guilt-trips him. Plus, the logical, non-empathetic side of Eugene adds, the Saporians were using  _ his _ chemical; if anybody would know how to combat it, it’d be him.

“Varian, I-I know that you’re scared and I’m not exactly your favorite person right now, but I also know that you don’t want people to get hurt. We need to move.” Eugene coaxes, his voice gentle like he was trying to convince an animal out of a hiding place. If Varian heard him, he made no sign of it. Instead, the teenager starts mumbling to himself, barely loud enough for Eugene to catch. 

“I have to make it up to him. I have to get him to care about me again. I’m dead I’m- I have to be useful again. If I’m useful he’ll care about me-  _ Done _ \- can’t fix anything- stupid, stupid-” Over and over like a perverse mantra, the kid whispers to himself. The man is stunned by the sheer amount of  _ wrong-ness _ gushing out of the words, out of the situation. 

Eugene couldn’t believe just how much he wanted to help the kid that threatened Rapunzel, the love of his life and the center of his new dream. But there were extenuating circumstances; the kid that was dangerous and unstable had also been orphaned, hunted like game, and abused by the same system that abused Eugene. And the love of his life ignored a problem that was killing their kingdom then refused to stand against her father even though people were getting hurt by their negligence. The whole situation was a mess of mistakes on every side, but Varian was the one that shouldered all of the blame. 

It was like back in Eugene’s orphanage that didn’t have enough money to feed all of its mouths and he was punished for stealing bread for himself, Lance, and the other kids there. It had turned him into a selfish waste of a man, turning everything more into just a fight for survival. But it  _ had _ been a fight for survival at the start. Kids trying to find their way in the world when no one would help them. It still sent his blood boiling to this day, but even so, it was just the way of the world. He couldn’t change or save everyone from it, that much was true, but this time… he could help  _ Varian _ .

Empathy rushes like blood in his veins and the man restructures his approach. 

“I know that it hurts.” Those words cause the fog in Varian’s eyes to clear slightly, his attention darting up to take in Eugene’s earnest expression. “I can understand how much it hurts to feel like you are only wanted as a tool.” He lets a heavy breath escape, feeling choked up out of nowhere. “Then to be chucked aside when you aren’t profitable anymore. It hurts.” The ex-thief risks placing a comforting hand on Varian’s back. He feels the small body tense under its thick jacket but counts the lack of flinching away from him as a win. 

“I admit that I wasn’t open to listening before, but I am now.” Eugene expects it to ease Varian’s worries. To bring him reassurance that someone is there for him this time, and that it wasn’t just him against the world anymore. That someone  _ did _ care.

“Stop it.” 

This damn kid always manages to find a way to defy his expectations.

“W-what?” Uneasiness spreads like goosebumps on his skin. What does the kid want him to stop? If it had been an hour ago, he would have backed up against the wall because who knows what this kid is capable of with his kind of weaponry. Yet now that he knows that Varian would rather risk his life than hurt people, he’s much more comfortable standing within blast range. 

The alchemist throws Eugene’s hand off of him with a wave of his arm. Varian finally looks up at him, his young features twisted into a grimace and dripping with tears. The uneasy feeling increases enough to raise hairs on the back of his neck. 

“Stop pretending you care about me! I-I can’t take it anymore!” Varian practically screams at him, voice cracking with grief. “You can’t care about the person that nearly killed your girlfriend. You can’t! You’re only pretending to get me nice and quiet again so you can throw me in this cell again without trouble. I’m nothing  _ but  _ trouble for you so it doesn’t even matter if I’m sorry! Don’t even try to make me believe it with flowery words and fake sympathy because I’d rather die here in the dark than fall for it again!”

Eugene can only stare at the teen trying to catch his breath. After that kind of declaration, any words left on his tongue shrivel and die a silent death. He stares and pure helplessness stares back. 

The silence following is interrupted only by Varian shuffling onto one of the cement cots, hugging his knees and burying his tear-stained face. Needing to look somewhere else,  _ anywhere else,  _ Eugene casts his eyes around the cell and tries to find the right words to say. He’s close to being sick. 

Groups of tally marks scratched into the stone decorate one side of the cell while the other hosts a series of complicated equations. Eugene surmises that this must’ve been the cell that housed Varian and Andrew. What makes bile burn the back of his throat however is the dried blood painting red streaks on the moldy stone floor.

There’s too much, Eugene thinks; too much pain and distrust all shoved into one kid. What is he supposed to do? For once, Eugene has  _ no idea _ what to say. 

He runs a hand down his face, coming to cup his bearded chin. How can he get Varian to trust him enough to keep him safe? The kid has every right to be distrustful of him-just as he has the right to be upset at Varian. Yet they still need to get somewhere if they were to move on. 

When he needed Lance to trust him, he brought up previous times that he hasn’t let his best friend down. Well, that was certainly out of the question. When he needed Rapunzel to believe in him, all Eugene would need to do is remind her that he’d never consider something if it meant her life would be in danger. Maybe, he can use that… but since Varian hadn’t truly had experience with someone protecting him from danger, he’d have to build off of the idea. Tweek it a bit with what he knows of the kid. Who, thinking about it all, would most likely respond best to logic. 

Meaning, that if Eugene wants to even have a  _ chance _ at fixing this bungled-up mess, he’s going to have to choke down his culpable conscience and self-righteous guilt in order to get Varian in a better state of mind. And ain’t that just  _ perfect. _

“You know,” Eugene starts, voice slicing through the silence. “I met this kid a while ago.” He can feel Varian’s attention shift to him. Whether or not he’s actually looking at him, the man knows that he’s at least listening. “He was super smart and had a big, bright smile. All he ever wanted to do was help people around him, no matter the cost. He wanted people to see what he could do to make things better and get their approval.” 

The brunette hears Varian’s gloves squeak when the boy tightens his grip around his legs, curling further inward. 

“But the world messed him up. The people that were supposed to take care of him turned away when he needed help the most. It broke the kid, causing him to lash out at the people who hurt him.” It’s getting harder and harder to be unemotional about this, Eugene bemoans while swallowing thickly. 

Varian sighs. “But good always wins over ‘evil’ and he rots in the prison where he belongs. Happily ever after for everyone.” The alchemist cuts in bitterly, voice wrought with hollowness. Eugene’s composure teeters when a nearly unbearable desire returns to shake his tiny form and drill it into that smart but blind brain that Eugene doesn’t think he’s bad anymore. To scream at him that he  _ wasn’t _ the hopeless cause he thought he was.

Instead, he takes in a small breath and continues, sadly smiling at the kid. “No... It’s not quite a happy ending until he gets a chance to, how did you say it earlier? ‘Right his wrongs?’” Eugene’s smile turned a bit sheepish. “And… maybe give the people who hurt him the chance to do the same?” 

That surprises Varian enough to get him to look his way. Eugene smiles at just how expressive the boy’s young face is; a hint of childishness pushing through the solid wall of having grown up too fast. “Now that I think about it, I would do anything to see that kid smile the way he used to.” 

Varian shifts his body toward the man, thoughts running through him so fast that Eugene could practically hear the gears going into overdrive. 

“Do… Do y-you actually mean it?” Varian’s voice is small, hesitant with a dash of hope. He uncurled slightly from his position and his eyes are glossy, sleep-deprived, but shining with renewed light and Eugene mentally cheers. Yes! Progress! The kid’s stare isn’t foggy and absent anymore! 

“Of course I do. And hey, you said you were sorry, right?” Eugene steps closer to Varian’s cot, holding his hands out in a placating manner; similar to how he approached the teen earlier that night. “Well, I believe you.” 

“You...you were listening.” It’s not a question more than it’s a recognition. “You’re listening to me without… without knowing if I’d do anything for you a-and I didn’t have to make you?” Eugene wasn’t quite sure where this was going but he’s glad that Varian is more verbal even through the stuttering.

“Yeah, I mean, it’d be kind of dumb of me to insist that I want to listen and not mean it right? After everything you went through, you deserve to be heard, you know?” 

Nothing could prepare Eugene for the 90lbs of teenager thrown at him, pulling him down to his level.

Varian grips the back of his jacket with surprising strength, arms quivering with tension. It doesn't quite feel like a normal embrace; it’s an act born from a desperate need for comfort. And Eugene was not about to deny the kid what he needs. Warm arms wrap around Varian and he rests his chin on a disheveled mop of hair Tears threaten to fall down the man’s tanned face as the teenage alchemist shakes in his arms and exclaims more fervent apologies. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt but I was so scared and so upset that no one was helping and I was the only one doing anything. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I just wanted people to listen. I’m sorry I freaked out and almost hurt people.” 

The boy continues to ramble even as Eugene presses the freckled face into his shoulder, muffling his words. Eugene has heard plenty though. He runs a hand through thick, black locks and nearly asphyxiates on guilt. Things were so much easier when he repressed everything, the ex-thief ruminates. Varian chokes back another sob and the man shushes him gently. 

“I know. I know. I’m sorry too.” The boy shakes his head disbelievingly. “I mean it, I mean it. I’m sorry for not listening, not helping, and not thinking about what you’ve been through before trying to attack you. I’m really, truly sorry I let that happen to you, kid.” Varian pulls away to make eye contact with him, searching for a sign of a lie or a reason to distrust again. In finding none, the boy gives him a watery smile. 

“Thank you.” 

“Not a problem, Hairstripe.” Eugene stands to full height, dusting off his pants and reaching a hand out to Varian. He gives him a careful grin. “Now, you ready to kick some Saporian butt, or do you need a minute?” Varian gives a wet laugh before attempting to stand, wobbly and nervous but he manages to get his feet under him. He takes Eugene’s hand without a trace of doubt.

“Y-yeah. We got this.” 


	2. Dramatic Irony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After successfully extracting themselves from their dingy cell, Eugene and Varian rush to stop the Saporians from burning down their kingdom. On the way, they run into some familiar faces that might need some convincing.

Varian allows himself to be dragged by the arm, out the door of their cell and up into the marble hallways of the castle. The Saporians were either still collecting those Quirinium barrels from Varian’s lab, or already loading them. Meaning, as long as they stay on this side of the castle, they should be safe from getting caught. 

Paintings, garish vases, and floral arrangements fly past the two in a blur. Eugene thinks that his plan is to take the kid to Xavier’s shop where everyone else is; he _thinks_ that’s his plan. He just kind of started moving, wanting to get Varian out of that damn cell and somewhere safe. Eugene glances back at the alchemist, who is struggling to keep up. His bandana shifts and bounces, revealing a purple and black handprint around his neck. The man grinds his teeth together to prevent the rage under his skin from erupting. Maybe he should just keep the kid somewhere far away from Andrew after getting something to fight against the exploding chemical. 

Varian calls from behind him. “I, uh- I have a neutralizing agent in the room I was staying in! If w-we just-”

“Eugene!” 

Eugene has never been so glad to hear Rapunzel’s voice in his life. His heart leaps when he sees a flash of golden hair and bare feet running towards him. He’s even happier to see Lance just on Rapunzel’s heels, looking exhausted with worry. Seeing the faces of his friends fills him with energy and he’s sprinting faster. Almost there. Almost there!

He collides with Rapunzel, wrapping her in his arms and lifting her up. A dizzy laugh bubbles out of his mouth as he spins his girlfriend. Her green eyes reflect his own relief that they are both safe. Eugene sets her down to give Lance a one-armed hug, keeping one hand on Rapunzel’s shoulder. 

“Blondie, I am so glad to see you! You have no-OW!” Rapunzel _does not_ hold back in punching his arm. Elated emerald green turns to furious jade and all Eugene can do is rub the definitely bruised arm. The princess is stronger than she looks. Well, he thinks to himself, he kind of deserves it. 

“How could you just run off like that?! Do you have any idea how worried we were?” Rapunzel lectures him, her long braid swishes as she waves her hands dramatically. “You were just saying how dangerous the Saporians were now that they have alchemical weapons, and you decide to go off on your own to-what? Take them down by yourself? Eugene!” She scolds him when he interrupts her righteous fury with a hug, something that he knows perfectly well that she’s weak to. 

“Yeah, man. You could’ve gotten hurt and we wouldn’t have a clue. Please don’t do something like that again. My maiden’s heart wouldn’t be able to handle it.” Lance cuts in, knowing that Rapunzel just tapped out with Eugene’s arms around her. The man rolls his eyes at his best friend’s word choice. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll make sure to keep your maiden’s heart intact. But, this stupid decision did get me some insight on what to do against the Saporians.” Rapunzel pulls away from him, excitement glowing on her face. 

“Really? Eugene, that’s amazing!” 

“You bet it’s amazing because we aren’t fighting a memory chemical, we’re fighting explosion juice. And enough of it to cremate Corona” Similar horrified expressions when he first found out did nothing to stop his stride. “But don’t worry because we have a plan.” 

“Um, Eugene, who’s ‘we’? Because I think I speak for both of us when I say that I don’t know how to combat a chemical or have an inkling of the plan you’re talking about.” Lance points out, unconvinced of Eugene’s assuredness. Even the ever-optimistic and faithful Rapunzel appears doubtful. But Lance pointing out his confusion in Eugene’s use of the word ‘we’ brings up yet another problem. 

Where did Varian go? 

He does a couple of spins, looking in every direction, getting more anxious when he realizes that the teen slipped out of his hold when he took off towards his friends. Did he get grabbed by a Saporian? Right when he got it through to him that he’s not going to let him get hurt! That would be just their luck, wouldn’t it?! 

Rapunzel and Lance regard his frantic searching with confused apathy. When Eugene continues to dart around, his girlfriend voices the question on the tip of her and Lance’s tongue.

“Eugene, what are you looking for? Why do you look so-?

“Stressed? Hysteric? Giving yourself frown lines?” Lance cuts in, with a lot less tact than Rapunzel but Eugene couldn’t really blame him. His childhood friend has always fed off of his own anxiety. But hey! Eugene would not give himself wrinkles until he’s at _least_ in his forties. 

Stopping that train of thought- he was getting _way_ too off-topic there- he started thinking again. Did the kid run away? Did he want to get the neutralizing substance while Eugene reunited with Rapunzel-?

He mentally slapped himself. _Dangit Eugene. Did you really forget Varian’s issues with your girlfriend that fast?_ Of _course_ he ran away!

“He must’ve been scared! Which means...” There is a tip of a boot sticking out of a corner just a few feet behind them. _There_. Before the man can move, a petite hand catches his arm. 

“Eugene, please, what are you talking about?” Rapunzel asks, her eyes flashing with frustration. He feels a twinge of remorse for worrying her and not being able to explain his trainwreck of a thought process. No one could say that he wasn’t a trier though. 

“I ran into Varian, Andrew was a piece of cow dung, we got thrown in a prison cell together and now he’s helping us take down the Saporians with a neurological ingredient thingy. Now we need to find him and reassure him that you two aren’t going to break his bones if we want a chance at taking the separatists down because if anyone knows the science-y stuff, it’s him.” He finished and hurriedly grabbed her hand, leading her down to where he believed Varian had gone. “And besides, you and the kid have some things to talk through. Namely some choice heaps of trauma along with the fact that he is _not_ going into another prison cell and is hereby pardoned by her royal princess Rapunzel of Corona. I mean, it _has_ been a year after all, and let’s be honest here, you’re practically queen already.”

Okay, that came out a little fast...and crazy. He wouldn’t even be surprised if she punched him again.

It took Rapunzel precisely 2.5 seconds for his words to sink in and one more to start pulling against him, stopping the couple in their tracks. Lance was still processing everything and would probably need a minute so Eugene was on his own in persuading his girlfriend to give Varian a second chance. 

“W-wait, Eugene! Varian? You want to trust Varian to help us against the Saporians he led to take over MY kingdom? A-and pardon him?” Rapunzel stutters, sounding baffled and a bit offended at Eugene’s implication. However, Eugene was distracted by Rapunzel’s notion that the kid was calling the shots. 

“What...What made you think that he was in charge of the group of _adult terrorists?”_ The glare he received had him back on convincing the blonde to trust rather than question her assumptions. “Look, I understand that you're wary, and believe me, I am too, but Varian proved to me that he wanted to help and I think he deserves a chance to prove it to the rest of Corona. He’s been hurt so much already, Blondie…I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the one to hurt him again by shoving him in another cell with another manipulative psychopath.” Rapunzel looks away at that, turning her glare to the ground. She pursed her lips stubbornly. 

“Is he not allowed to have an opportunity to change his life for the better? Like what you gave Stalyan? Or the Pub Thugs?” Still no response from her other than a furrowing of her eyebrows. Well, all or nothing. 

“If you don’t trust him, can you trust me?” 

He knew that Rapunzel was having a hard time putting her trust in people after what happened in the Dark Kingdom with Cassandra. Eugene knows her well enough to see her struggle behind her plastic smile. But Rapunzel also knows _because_ of what happened in the Dark Kingdom that she needs support now more than ever; Eugene has never let her down before and she knows from experience that he’d rather die than put her in danger. It just takes some reminding sometimes. 

His thoughts are reflected in the many emotions flashing across her round face in rapid succession and end the same way; judging by the resigned expression, she finally looks up at him. 

“I trust you.” She insists, squeezing his hand tightly. “But-”

“I know, Sunshine.” Eugene cuts her off, already knowing her train of thought. Second chances can only go so far. But the man had faith in Varian now that he’s separated from pestilent influences and knows that the kid has apologized to him -maybe a dozen times- for everything. Varian was a different person now, he was sure of it. This Varian had more options.

Rapunzel was a little more cooperative as Eugene coaxed her down the hallway just before Varian’s corner. She squeezes his hand again, bringing the other one to fidget with the long golden strands of her hair. Or maybe she was getting ready to pull her hair beads out, just in case of a fight? Either way, it made Rapunzel feel more comfortable about this without sacrificing Varian’s safety, so Eugene couldn’t bring himself to tell her to stop. 

Upon hearing footsteps coming closer to his hiding spot, the boot disappears behind the corridor. Eugene heaves one deep breath before stepping into view, pulling Rapunzel along with him. The kid has once again curled into himself, nervously clutching his arms and biting his lip again. The thought to really talk to the kid about that habit comes and goes as he regards the dried blood chipping from Varian’s face. The moment the teen notices the two of them, pure terror flashes on his face and he attempts to sink father into the wall behind him. Rapunzel responds by coming to clutch her braid even tighter; Eugene can’t quite grasp the look on her face, however. Seconds pass in silence with the two staring each other down. When his girlfriend shifts her weight, Varian flinches. 

Right. This wasn’t just going to happen by itself. 

“It’s okay, kid.” Eugene soothes, bringing an arm up to reach for him. “We aren’t going to hurt you. Right, Rapunzel?” He prompts, giving her an encouraging smile. She manages a nod through her intense staring. Maybe he should tell her to tone down the glaring because Varian could not look any more uneasy. 

The man doesn’t know what happens between his prompting and her distracted acknowledgment but Blondie’s expression flashes with dread; she starts moving towards the teen futilely trying to disappear into the wall. He’s a little too slow to catch her wrist before she’s fully cornered him. _No no Rapunzel whatever you are trying to do, it’s not going to work like that._ Eugene sends a prayer to the sun that the kid did not descend into a panic attack right here and now. 

His prayer is answered, if just barely. Varian starts shaking and his breathing becomes uneven but he’s definitely still present enough to give Eugene a pleading look. The ex-thief is about to gather Rapunzel in his arms and give the kid some space, but a soft gasp occupies his attention. 

The princess moves her hand up to Varian’s neck, shifting the bandana slightly to get a better look at the dark bruises around his slight throat. The kid turns to stone under her fingertips and ocean eyes cloud over. That was his cue, Eugene winces. 

“Okay, Sunshine. Let’s _not_ do that.” He pulls her gently away from the alchemist, taking her still outstretched hand and holding it ardently to his chest. She doesn’t answer him. Eugene gently guides her gaze away from the alchemist statue and towards him. Once again, the man has no idea what is going through that pretty head of hers; but he knows one thing. 

She looks absolutely heartbroken. Rapunzel struggles to find her voice again, but it’s not Eugene she addresses. 

“Is….Did..?” She can’t even finish her sentence. 

“Did Andrew do that?” Lance appears just over Eugene’s shoulder, startling him slightly. His voice is dark, stormy in a way that Eugene does not hear often. He doesn’t know how much his friend is caught up on when it comes to Varian, but it might look like Eugene has another member of the ‘Beat Andrew to a Pulp’ Club. 

The new voice has Varian standing to attention, he fixes the red cloth so it better covers the handprint. Not once do the kid’s eyes leave the ground, still incredibly non-verbal and stiff. It’s enough of an answer for Rapunzel and Lance. His girlfriend exhales wearily, briefly resting her forehead on Eugene’s collarbone when the realization sinks in. Lance, on the other hand, shows no such restraint and punches a hole in a wall. 

The mighty thud makes tension strum tightly in the muscles of all present bodies. Eugene is quick to rein him in as well. 

“Let’s not do that either, kay? Maybe later, but right now.” The brunette places a calming hand on Lance’s broad shoulder before approaching Varian. The kid’s eyes flicker between Rapunzel’s downcast expression to Lance’s burning rage-filled grimace to Eugene’s careful frown. “Besides, we have to get something to stop the Saporians, right Varian?” 

Varian’s eyes brew with worry, self-loathing resurfacing after Rapunzel’s misguided actions. The man could see Varian juggling a thousand worst-outcome scenarios when it came to the princess and the Saporians and the Quirinium and the prospect of being left to suffer alone again. Maybe the kid and Rapunzel were more similar than he thought. Because it seemed like Varian just needed some reminding. 

“It’ll be okay Varian. I’m right here and I’m not going to leave you or let you get hurt.” 

The distress fades ever so slowly and Varian steals his expression, clenching his jaw with a newfound determination. Eugene feels his chest swell with…satisfaction? Relief? Dare he say, _pride?_

He’s proud of the kid. Despite his bad history of it, Varian pushes his contempt aside to _trust_ _him_. And _Rapunzel!_ And the _stranger_ that was Lance! 

“I-I should be able to find what I need i-in a supply closet. Once we have it, I’ll be able to neutralize the Quirinium.” Varian’s voice is hoarse but strong. Eugene’s face hurts with the smile stretching across his face as he leads the kid away from the wall he was glued to. The two walk forward, joining Eugene’s family and running feet-first into the inevitable battle to take back their capital. 

For just a moment, all of Varian’s pain, Rapunzel’s wariness, and Eugene’s guilt is left behind in favor of the task ahead of them. 

With that in mind, the Saporians were definitely screwed.

\-------

“So,” Eugene asked from behind her. “What’s the plan?”

“Well…” Varian bit his lip, a nervous habit he had apparently picked up. “To find out what _our_ plan is, we need to figure out what _theirs_ is.” His expression displayed confusion when he looked at the Saporians loading the barrels into the ship. “Quirinium would work best here, on the ground if they wanted to destroy Corona. Maybe get in a carriage, plant it around the city and light them off if they really wanted to do damage, but… I think they plan to drop it?”

Rapunzel tapped her finger on the crate they were hiding behind. She still didn’t quite know how to feel about Varian. It was some sort of feeling where she felt that she _had_ to hate him, after what he’d done, yet also hated the feeling for hating him like that? It was all a jumbled mess, but one thing she knew was that it felt good knowing there was a chance to fix things between them. Maybe then it would prove that there was still a chance to help Cass-

Nope. Not the time for that. They had a kingdom to save.

“So… what would dropping it do?”

“Honestly? I don’t know.” He answered her, holding up a small vial of the neutralizing serum they’d collected. “The force of the drop might heat it up and cause it to explode on impact, but it’ll probably be best if we don’t have to find out. What I’m thinking is we need to get on that ship, dump these in, and make sure they’re virtually harmless. But… it might take a while for it to start working, so we might want to keep them from lighting it off for as long as possible and-”

“Eh- Guys?” Lance spoke up, gesturing to the far side of the courtyard. “We might have a situation…”

A spark of alarm sounded in Rapunzel’s chest at the sight of who was being loaded into a carriage. “My parents! What are they doing with them?”

Varian’s hand clenched the edge of the crate tighter. “I… I don’t- well, uh, Andrew might have a bit of a grudge against them? And now that I’m not there… Yeah, we might not want to leave them alone in the ah- state they’re in.”

Rapunzel felt her gaze harden. “They’re locking the door, and I don’t know how to pick it. Varian, what do you think?”

“Well… your hair would be best suited in the sky, and we’re probably going to need two people saving the king and queen… That leaves Lance and Eugene for that, and the princess and I’ll go on the airship.”

“Hairstripe, are you sure?” Eugene spoke up. “If you start panicking again-”

“It’ll be fine, alright?” Varian’s voice is defensive, underlying with embarrassment. “It’s just another mess I need to fix. Now, if you’re not going to need them, the serums are going to be better used in my pack. Hand them over.”

As the boys started fitting the vials in Varian’s backpack, Rapunzel tapped the alchemist on the shoulder as the large ship began rising off the ground. “Varian? They’re leaving, are you ready?”

His expression hardened and he nodded, hoisting his arms through the straps and pushing himself to his feet. The others in the ground followed in turn, wishing each other luck as they broke off. The cobbled street was cold under her feet, but that was the least of her worries. Besides, she’d be in the air soon enough.

“Try aiming for that rail right over there.” Varian pointed as she began unraveling her braid. “It’s behind a crate so they shouldn’t see us.”

Rapunzel nodded and slung her hair in the direction. It took a few tries, and her heartbeat picked up when it started growing out of her range, but luckily, it finally hooked around the board. She gave it an experimental tug, and when it didn’t move, the two of them hurried to wrap the golden strands around them so it would lift them both up. When it finally started to carry them into the air, she felt a small spark of gratitude for there only being two of them. She couldn’t even begin to think of how they might’ve carried all four of them onto the ship.

“Are we going up now?” Rapunzel asked the boy at her side. “Or are we going to wait until they stop rising?”

“We probably want to make sure they don’t drop a barrel when they stop,” Varian suggested. “Once it doesn’t hit, use their confusion as a distraction so we can start dumping the neutralizer in.”

Rapunzel cocked her head and raised an eyebrow at him. “Ever wonder why they want to blow up Corona? It feels…”

“Over excessive? Dramatic? Violently regressive? Immature?” Varian finished for her, a smirk playing on his face and chuckling a bit at her confused expression. “Yeah, that’s Andrew for you-” He stopped short, expression freezing and he turned his head away, hiding it from her. 

Rapunzel suddenly felt quite out of her depth, wishing that Eugene was here to handle this. He’d always been better at dealing with people’s emotions, getting them to calm down and believe in themselves. Listening when they needed it and talking through things with them. She’d like to think that that was more her forte, but with what happened with Cass… she wasn’t so sure. And now, thinking back on it, she wasn’t sure she’d handled _any_ emotional situation well that concerned other people. 

Varian was living proof of that.

“Do you… want to talk about it?” Rapunzel attempted hesitantly, trying to ignore how high they were starting to get. It shouldn’t have been a problem. She wasn’t afraid of heights, she’d grown up in a _tower_ for crying out loud! But maybe there was something about the higher they got, the more in danger her kingdom became that made it all feel so unsettling.

Varian didn’t speak to her for a few moments, waiting in the silence before his answer timidly came out. “It’s just… he and dad were just so _similar_. I guess that made me kinda… used to his type of person? Maybe… maybe I just latched onto the first person who said they cared about me because he was _there._ Then it wasn’t too hard to take it at face value.” He avoided her eyes. “Especially after you… you know, abandoned me?”

Rapunzel almost physically recoiled. _“What?_ What are you- I didn’t do anything!”

“Uh, exactly.” Varian’s voice sounded casual, but his grip tightened around Rapunzel’s hair as if he was terrified she’d drop him. Poisonous blue eyes bore into her, steel swirled with what looked like fear, “You didn’t do _anything_ to help with the rocks. You didn’t do _anything_ to help _me_ -”

“I- I told you! My dad didn’t want me getting anywhere near the rocks! I was just as helpless as you were!”

“And you think my dad didn’t do the same?” Varian snapped at her. “That didn’t stop me from trying to help. And just- really princess? You’re the most powerful person in the kingdom! You storming have _unbreakable hair_ on your side! So really. Don’t give me that ‘my dad didn’t let me’ crap because that stopped being valid the second you ignored his orders to just get the ‘freedom’ you craved so _desperately_.” 

His eyes were hard, yet he kept his expression controlled. “So now, I need to know. Why? Why did you leave me to clean everything up? Why did you leave me to rot in jail? Why did you even involve me in the first place? Was it because I was smart? Was it to keep me quiet? And even after everything else why- _why didn’t you care_?” Varian’s voice broke off at the end, but Rapunzel’s mind was in too many shambles to focus on anything. What he was implying…

“You don’t understand,” she grumbled, not bothering to try and explain. She didn’t owe _him_ of all people an explanation. It wasn’t _her_ fault Varian was left alone. Even thinking of it made her stomach feel queasy. He just didn’t _understand._ It _couldn’t_ be her fault. She had been recovering from something that left her shaken, hurt, and disorganized. The storm had shown her how terrifying leading was and how unprepared she was for it. She couldn’t have helped him even if she tried! It _wasn’t_ her fault. And even if it was? It gave him no excuse to hurt her as he did. To hurt her _family_ as he did.

Yet she could still _feel_ Varian’s gaze harden at her “explanation.” She could _hear_ the bite in his words as he shifted again towards her. “You’re right. I _don’t_ understand. I was too busy crying over my father’s corpse to ‘ _understand_.’ Really. How selfish of me to assume you would’ve cared about me, the kid that you dragged into your problems with your empty words of how ‘we collectively’ were going to figure it out-”

“I _did_ care!” Rapunzel objected, face contorting in some sort of desperate glare. “You just- you don’t even understand how bad things were for me after the storm! Do you even _know_ how much my dad was lying to me? How trapped I was in my own home? Just because I didn’t check on you- it didn’t mean that I didn’t care! Alright?”

“Princess I’m sick and tired of people lying to me,” Varian mumbled out, sounding exhausted. “Just stop faking and floundering, and tell me the truth. You didn’t care-”

“I _did-_ ”

“ _Rapunzel_ !” Varian bit out, whirling his head around to face her defensive gaze. “Look me in the eyes and say you cared. Look me in the eyes and say you cared even when you left me alone for months! Look me in the eyes and say that you cared enough to even spare a _thought_ of if I was doing okay or not after you freaking _threw me into a blizzard?_ Look at me and tell me that you cared about me even as you ignored every plea, every cry for help I sent, every _storming chance_ to help the person you promised _safety and kindness._ ”

Rapunzel froze. Hurt from his words and trying to swallow the growing lump of dread in her throat, shame clouding her mind as her eyes dropped, unable to meet his gaze. Her voice wasn’t... _working_. But she couldn’t really stay _silent,_ could she? 

“I-”

“My eyes are up _here_ princess.” Varian spat as her voice gave out, mouth refusing to move.

It should be easy. Barely even five words. _It should be easy_.

Then why was it so _hard?_

Shakily, she tilted her head up and met his hard eyes again. They weren’t as cold- just… demanding, but also _accepting?_ And… pleading? They made her want to tell him _yes yes I_ did _care-_ but she couldn’t say it. _She couldn’t say it_.

Rapunzel’s eyes glazed over. Self-pity overwhelmed her as she forced out what she _could_ say. 

“I’m sorry.”

Varian’s eyes flashed with grief and- and _pain_ before dropping his head. Even so, he nodded, as if that was to be expected. 

“I’m sorry too.”

Rapunzel swallowed, opening her mouth to speak, yet Varian beat her to it.

“I guess that’s why I trusted him you know?” Varian told her. “At least he _acted_ like he cared. And he didn’t just offer up empty words and things like you did- he _actually did it._ That’s almost a hundred times more than I can say for anyone else- You, Arianna, Frederick, the judge… everyone.” There was a bite in his voice, but she also heard a certain morose tone to it that made her look away in shame, readjusting her grip on her hair.

“They all said how sorry they were about how hopeless it all was for me. That the law and the facts couldn’t be changed. They said they’d figure out a way to help, but no one even _visited_ me after the sentencing. There wasn’t anyone that kept their word. Pretty poetic, yeah? Circling back to where we started. Empty words, empty promises… all ending with me alone to sort myself out. _Again_.”

Rapunzel bit her lip, not liking how this was turning. “Varian I’m sure-”

“‘At least it’s not a death sentence.’ Did you know they said that?” Varian asked her, yet he still didn’t turn his head. “Said that I should be _happy_ being stuck in the dark the rest of my life. Said that- that I deserved worse- and I did right? Well, some people decided I did. Then they decided that it would be better if I had a ‘friend’ down there to ‘save me from myself.’” He shuddered visibly but kept talking. “And- and he actually _protected_ me down there. He… there might’ve been harder times and he might’ve just been using me all along but- at least- at least he- he-” his voice broke off and he fell silent, rambling words dying out.

“-at least he was there?” Rapunzel finished for him. A sad realization of some similarities in their own traumatic situations dawning on her. Varian turned to her- a bit hesitant, but now... curious?- and she spoke again. “Yeah… some people are like that.”

Varian blinked, confusion for a second before a strange sort of understanding grew in his eyes. Yet he still turned away. Again. “I guess you _do_ understand that.”

Rapunzel made an affirmative hum, beginning to speak before Varian cried out suddenly and pointed, jolting their hair-made harness. “They dropped a barrel! Catch it!”

Her eyes flashed with alarm, but after months of using it, her hair was automatic in flying forward and latching its strands around the wooden cylinder. It was heavier than she expected, and when it jerked at her hand when it came swinging to a stop, she feared that it’d fall out or break open. Luckily, when it didn’t, they were able to pull it up to their level.

“Nice catch!” Varian grinned at her, gripping the knot of the hair tight. “So… you think you could pull the both of us up? My hands are a little full at the moment, but if it’s too heavy-”

“-Nope! I got it.” She peeped at him, turning to pull them both up the hair with ease that she’d gained from doing this for the past years. For a moment, she faltered. Had Varian just been… friendly with her? Maybe there _was_ a chance for them!

“Need help?” She whispered as they got to the side of the railing, but Varian only shook his head and grunted as he hauled the barrel onto the ship, then turned to offer his hand to Rapunzel to pull her up.

“Come on princess, while they’re distracted.” Varian hurried her as he helped her pull herself up onto the floor. Once there, they shot behind the crate to get a good look at everything.

“I made 15 barrels, here’s one, there’s 5 over there by the Saporians, 3 over by the forefront burner, and the last six over by the door. See them?” Varian waited until she’d nodded and continued. “Alright, take these vials, and since you actually stand a chance against these guys, you can take the five over there while I take the ones at the- don’t drop them!” He hissed as one almost slipped through her hands.

“ _I’m not going to be able to fight like this!”_ She hissed back at him, the vials over-crowding her hands.

Varian pursed his lips and nodded after a beat, slipping his pack from off his shoulders. “Alright, same plan, except you carry them in here and focus more on keeping them distracted from what we’re doing alright? As far as they know, I’m probably still down in my cell. They wouldn’t be looking for me especially since it’s _you_ here, so let’s play that to our advantage.”

“What are these?” Rapunzel asked, pointing to the tiny blue beads fitted into the backpack’s sides.

“Bubble bombs. They should be able to entrap most of them inside if you aim right, plus after that, you can just push them off the ship and they’ll just float safely down.”

“So… they’ll be useful. Got it,” she mumbled as she slung the pack onto her. “Anything else you got?”

“Nothing that you’ll be skilled enough for, so no. Sorry.” He sure didn’t _sound_ sorry. 

“So... now?”

He nodded, peeking over the box. “Yeah, go ahead before they decide to drop another one. I’ll go to the others, but our main focus should be immobilizing the Saporians. If there’s no one to drop them, they should be harmless if they weren’t already- they don’t even think to use a _torch-_ ” he stopped, jerking his head. “Hurry up.”

Rapunzel hardened her face and nodded, stepping out from behind their cover. “Hey, jerkfaces! Over here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all going to be so wrecked in the next chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Oof...Y'all doing okay?


End file.
